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Host Susan Kim sits down with children's television writers Geri Cole and Bob Mittenthal to discuss balancing entertainment and education in children's storytelling, embracing restrictions – from budget limitations to writing for puppets — in creative ways, the ongoing fight for union coverage in animation, and more. Geri Cole is a full-time staff writer and lead interactive narrative designer for Sesame Street, co-chair of the WGAE Black Writers Salon, she's won five Daytime Emmys, a Writers Guild Award, a Producers Guild Award, and an NAACP Image Award. Geri also hosted seasons 7-11 of OnWriting. Bob Mittenthal has had a long career as writer and producer. Credits include Double Dare, KaBlam, and Bossy Bear. He created such shows as Welcome Freshmen, Think Fast, and Make the Grade. Other shows include It's Pony, Welcome to the Wayne, the Loud House, the Adventures of Pete and Pete, and the Naked Brothers Band. Susan Kim is an Emmy-nominated and award-winning documentary and children's television writer known for her work on shows like Dragon Tales, Thomas & Friends, Bea's Block, Bubble Guppies, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and more. She is co-chair of the WGAE Animation Caucus, and a former member of the WGAE Council. --- Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives. Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
Host Geri Cole sits down with documentarian John Wilson to discuss How To choose episode titles that will make for good stories, How To make your writers room feel like a therapy session, How To find serendipitous interview subjects, and more. John Wilson is a New York City-based documentary filmmaker known for creating and hosting the acclaimed comedy-docuseries, How To with John Wilson. How To with John Wilson chronicles self-proclaimed "anxious New Yorker" John as he films his fellow fellow New Yorkers while attempting to give advice on topics ranging from “how to watch birds” to “how to put up scaffolding.” The HBO series premiered in October 2020 and has received widespread critical acclaim and several accolades, including Primetime Emmy and Writers Guild Award nominations. The third and final season concluded in September 2023, and all three seasons are available to stream on HBO Max. This episode of OnWriting is hosted by Geri Cole, a writer and performer based in New York City. She is currently a full-time staff and interactive writer for SESAME STREET, for which she has received Writers Guild Award and two Daytime Emmys. She also performs sketch and improv at theaters and festivals around the country. --- Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives. Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
Ch 17: Novelized by Shek Baker, narrated by Maurice LaMarche - “The Annoyance of Noonien.” Ch 18: Novelized by Mickie Cathers, narrated by Beth Stelling - “Live Long or Die Trying.” Interview: Geri Cole Maurice LaMarche is a comedian and voice actor best known for voicing Lrr, Morbo, and Calculon from Futurama and various roles in Frozen, Zootopia, Looney Tunes, and more. He also voices Sam the Toucan in the Froot Loops commercials. Shek Baker is a writer and comedian. Beth Stelling is a stand-up comedian who has performed on Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Netflix's The Standups, and more. She has written for HBO's Crashing, and her special “Girl Daddy” is now streaming on Max. Mickie Cathers is a writer based out of Philadelphia. Geri Cole is a writer and improviser who has written for Sesame Street. The Novelizers was created by Stephen Levinson, produced by Stephen, Chris Karwowski and Rob Kutner, and edited, mixed and mastered by Chris Karwowski. Associate Producer: Suchetas Bokil. Music by Cole Emoff, Andrew Lin, Mike Wilson and Chris Messick. Special thanks to Sarah Mabe, Crystal Dennis, Dennis DiClaudio, and Hannah Levinson. Follow the Novelizers on Instagram and Twitter, or at thenovelizers.com. The Novelizers is a work of parody, unauthorized by Paramount, Roddenberry Entertainment or Star Trek. © 2023 The Novelizers and respective authors
Folks, we're not going to lie to you -- this week's guest is a GET. We welcome the wonderful Geri Cole to the PoP Pod studios! Geri is a four-time Emmy award winner (!!!), podcast host, and writer on the beloved children's series Sesame Street (um...ever heard of it??). We talk about writing for Cookie Monster vs. writing for Big Bird, the Dos and Don'ts of collaborating with your partner (see: The Perfect Couple's Guide), and we land on the perfect definition of perfectionism. You can hear Geri interviewing some of your favorite writers on OnWriting: A Podcast of the Writers Guild of America, East.
Geri Cole turns it over to Michael Cyril Creighton for a special conversation with showrunners Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen to discuss their series, SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE. Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen are a writing duo whose credits include HIGH MAINTENANCE, MOZART IN THE JUNGLE and DRIVEWAYS. Moderator Michael Cyril Creighton is a writer and actor known for his recent performance as the cat-loving Howard Morris in ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING and his roles on HIGH MAINTENANCE and SPOTLIGHT, as well as for creating and starring in the Writers Guild Award-winning web series JACK IN A BOX (which, incidentally, Hannah and Paul also worked on). SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE is a new comedy series that follows Sam, a true Kansan on the surface who, beneath it all, struggles to fit into the hometown mold. As Sam grapples with loss and acceptance, singing is her saving grace and leads her on a journey to discover herself and a community of outsiders who don't fit in, but don't give up, showing that finding your people and finding your voice is possible anywhere somewhere. SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE is streaming now on HBO and HBO Max, and was renewed for a second season earlier this month. --- Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives. Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
Geri Cole turns it over to David O. Russell for a conversation with Adam McKay about his latest project, DON'T LOOK UP. David O. Russell is the Oscar- and Writers Guild Award-nominated writer and director best known for his work on titles like FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, THREE KINGS, I HEART HUCKABEES, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, AMERICAN HUSTLE, and most recently, JOY. Adam McKay is a writer, director, comedian, and co-founder of the comedy group Upright Citizens Brigade. He kicked off his film & TV career in the '90s as a head writer for SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE before rising to fame in the 2000s for his collaborations with fellow comedian and SNL alum Will Ferrell, with whom he co-wrote the hit comedies ANCHORMAN, STEP BROTHERS, and THE OTHER GUYS. In the 2010s, McKay ventured into more dramatic waters as co-writer & director of the 2015 dramedy/biopic THE BIG SHORT—for which he and Charles Randolph received the Academy and Writers Guild Awards for Adapted Screenplay—and as writer & director of the 2019 Oscar- and Writers Guild Award-nominated Dick Cheney biopic VICE. His most recent project is DON'T LOOK UP, a comedy-drama and cautionary tale written and directed by McKay and based on a story by himself and David Sirota. The film follows two astronomers who discover a comet orbiting within the solar system and which is set on a direct collision course with Earth. The problem? No one really seems to care. Turns out warning mankind about a planet-killer the size of Mount Everest is an inconvenient fact to navigate. The astronomers embark on a media tour that takes them from the office of an indifferent President and her sycophantic son and Chief of Staff to the airwaves of upbeat morning show The Daily Rip. With only six months until the comet makes impact, the team struggles to manage the 24-hour news cycle and gain the attention of the social media-obsessed public—before it's too late. DON'T LOOK UP was released in December 2021 and is available to stream on Netflix. --- Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives. Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
For the latest live taping of OnWriting, Amanda Peet and Jennifer Kim join host Geri Cole to discuss their work on the new Netflix (academi)comedy-drama series, THE CHAIR. Amanda Peet is the co-creator, showrunner, writer, and executive producer of THE CHAIR. You may also know her from her extensive acting credits, including DIRTY JOHN, BROCKMIRE, and TOGETHERNESS. Jennifer Kim is a writer on THE CHAIR, as well as a staff writer for the upcoming Mel Brooks variety series HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PART II, which was announced earlier this fall. THE CHAIR is the story of Professor Ji-Yoon Kim—the newly appointed chair of the English department at the prestigious Pembroke University, and the first woman of color to hold the position. The first season of the comedy-drama series follows Kim's efforts to meet the dizzying demands and high expectations of a failing English department all while trying to ensure the tenure of a young black colleague; negotiate her relationship with her crush, friend, and well-known colleague Bill Dobson; and parent her strong-willed adopted daughter. The show was released in August 2021 and is available to stream on Netflix. --- Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives. Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
OnWriting presents the fourth and final week of OnWriting Pride: a series of live-recordings of the podcast in honor of Pride Month, presented by the WGAE LGBTQ Salon. Each episode features LGBTQ+ screenwriters and the LGBTQ+ stories they tell. For the fourth and final installment in the series, OnWriting host Geri Cole speaks with Steven Canals, the co-creator and executive producer of the FX drama series POSE. After receiving an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA, Steven Canals began his professional writing career as a research assistant at Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black's production company Hungry Jackal Productions. He then went on to serve as a staff writer on the Freeform supernatural horror series DEAD OF SUMMER while also writing the short film “Afuera.” In 2018, he started his tenure as co-creator and executive producer of POSE. POSE is a drama spotlighting the legends, icons and ferocious house mothers of New York's underground ball culture, a movement that first gained notice in the late 1980s. The series follows Blanca Rodriguez, who, after receiving an HIV positive diagnosis, is forced to confront her mortality and dedicates herself to leaving a legacy by founding her own House of Evangelista and supporting her new found-family. POSE, which recently concluded its third and final season, features the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles and the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ actors ever for a scripted series. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Netflix, and the third season is available on FX. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ -- Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
OnWriting presents three live-taped episodes of OnWriting celebrating Black History Month, presented by the WGAE Black Writers Salon. In each installment, two co-chairs of the WGAE Black Writers Salon—OnWriting’s own Geri Cole and Rashidi Hendrix—speak with Black screenwriters who have each written amazing films about Black icons in history. For the third & final installment of the series, Geri and Rashidi speak with Shaka King, co-writer and director of JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH. Shaka King is a screenwriter, director, and producer. His debut feature film, NEWLYWEEDS, premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Someone to Watch Award at the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards. He then cowrote and directed the short film MULIGNANS, with which he and cowriter Kristan Sprague competed in the USA Narrative Short Film Program at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and for which they received the Nantucket Film Festival Screenwriting Award. He also co-wrote and directed the 2017 short film LAZERCISM, starring LaKeith Stanfield. On the small screen, King has written and directed episodes of several series, including HIGH MAINTENANCE, SHRILL, and RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS. His latest project is JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH – the powerful true story of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) – chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party – and his betrayal by FBI informant William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), which led to Hampton being executed in bed in a pre-dawn raid by Chicago law enforcement. Screenplay by Will Berson and Shaka King; Story by Will Berson, Shaka King, and Kenny Lucas and Keith Lucas (better known as the Lucas Brothers); Directed by Shaka King. The film will be available to stream on HBO Max until Sunday, March 14. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ -- Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
OnWriting presents three live-taped episodes of OnWriting celebrating Black History Month, presented by the WGAE Black Writers Salon. In each installment, two co-chairs of the WGAE Black Writers Salon—OnWriting’s own Geri Cole and Rashidi Hendrix—speak with Black screenwriters who have each written amazing films about Black icons in history. For the second installment in the series, Geri speaks to Suzan-Lori Parks — Pulitzer prize-winning playwright and screenwriter of the new Hulu feature film, THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY. Suzan-Lori Parks was encouraged to take up playwriting by her then-college professor, James Baldwin. In 2002, she became the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play Topdog/Underdog. She also wrote the screenplays for the Spike Lee-directed 1996 film GIRL 6, the 2004 adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, and the 2019 film adaptation of Richard Wright’s NATIVE SON. She is also a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY is adapted from Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari. It tells the story of the legendary Billie Holiday (Andra Day) as she's targeted by the federal department of narcotics with an undercover sting operation led by black federal agent Jimmy Fletcher (Trevante Rhodes), with whom she has a tumultuous love affair. The film is directed by Lee Daniels and is currently available to stream on Hulu. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ -- Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
OnWriting presents three live-taped episodes of OnWriting celebrating Black History Month, presented by the WGAE Black Writers Salon. In each installment, two co-chairs of the WGAE Black Writers Salon—OnWriting’s own Geri Cole and Rashidi Hendrix—speak with Black screenwriters who have each written amazing films about Black icons in history. To kick things off, we’re joined by Ruben Santiago-Hudson and the screenwriter of MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, which is currently available to stream on Netflix. Ruben Santiago-Hudson is a versatile talent who — in addition to his many acting credits in projects like BILLIONS and THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS — wrote the award-winning stage play for LACKAWANNA BLUES as well as its Emmy and Writers Guild Award-nominated TV film adaptation. MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is an adaptation of the August Wilson play of the same name. The film, set in 1920s Chicago, follows a recording session where tensions rise between mother of blues Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), and her ambitious horn player named Levee (Chadwick Boseman). -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ -- Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
Geri Cole hosts the third installment of the OnWriting Guide to Crafting Scripted Podcasts. In Parts One & Two, Kaitlin Fontana spoke with podcast writers and producers about the industry’s business side: what the market looks like, how to break in, and how to protect yourself once you’re there; and about the creative side of the industry: from recruiting talent, to necessary skill sets, to creative satisfactions, and beyond. Now, in Part Three, Geri is joined by three guests—Lissette Alvarez, Matt Klinman, and Lowell Peterson—to talk about the WGA Audio Alliance a new initiative from the Writers Guild of America, East which aims to establish and improve the standards and rights for writers in the scripted podcast industry. To learn more, visit wgaeast.org/WGAAudio or follow @WGAAudio on Twitter. About the Guests Lisette Alvarez is the owner of Stormfire Productions, an independent podcast production company. They are the writer, producer, and lead actor of the urban fantasy audio drama KALILA STORMFIRE'S ECONOMICAL MAGICK SERVICES. Matt Klinman is a writer, director and performer for television, digital and scripted audio. He is currently developing a new scripted audio series with Audible and was most recently a staff writer on the Spotify series THE LAST DEGREE OF KEVIN BACON produced by Funny or Die and the Audible series 64TH MAN produced by Broadway Video. He is the co-creator and co-director of the scripted audio series SMARTR produced by Team Coco for Luminary. Lowell Peterson is the executive director of the Writers Guild of America, East. Under his stewardship, the Guild has organized nonfiction podcast companies Gimlet, The Ringer and Parcast, which are now all owned by Spotify. To listen to the OnWriting Guide to Crafting Scripted Podcasts, Parts One and Two, visit onwriting.org and click on “Special Projects.” The OnWriting Guide to Scripted Podcasting, Part Three was hosted by Geri Cole with sound design, mixing, and tech production by Stock Boy Creative. Special thanks to Lisette Alvarez, Matt Klinman, Lowell Peterson, Jason Gordon, and Molly Beer. Parts One and Two were written & produced by Molly Beer; hosted by Kaitlin Fontana; with sound design, mixing, and tech production by Stock Boy Creative. Special thanks to River Donaghey, Danielle Trussoni, Zack Akers, Skip Bronkie, Alicia Van Couvering, Lowell Peterson, Jason Gordon, and Marsha Seeman. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ -- Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
Season 7 host Geri Cole speaks with Oscar- and Writers Guild Award-winning screenwriter and director Charlie Kaufman about his latest film, how his writing is shaped by fear, finding meaning in his films, the benefits of walking, and much more. Charlie Kaufman is a critically acclaimed screenwriter and director. His writing credits include ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND—for which he received the Academy, Writers Guild, and BAFTA Awards for Best Original Screenplay—as well as BEING JOHN MALKOVICH and ADAPTATION, both of which earned him a BAFTA Award and nominations for the Writers Guild and Academy Awards in their respective screenplay categories. Three of his screenplays were included in the WGA's "101 Greatest Screenplays" project in 2005. Kaufman's feature directorial debut was the 2008 film SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK. His latest project, the Neftlix psychological drama I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, is based on the 2016 novel by Iain Reid. The film is narrated by the unnamed girlfriend of Jake as the new couple travel deep into the country to visit Jake's parents' secluded farm. Upon arriving, she comes to question everything she thought she knew about Jake, and about herself. The film was released in late August and is available to stream on Netflix. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews at www.onwriting.org/ Follow us on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
Andy Mills and Geri Cole chat with us about love at first sight, race and more!
The wonderful Geri Cole (writer, Sesame Street) stops by to talk about Arcade Fire's immense song, "My Body Is A Cage." We talk about album closers, living abroad, growing up, life changes, friendship, and love. It gets deep! Mikki Hommel returns to the show and plays a killer cover of "My Body Is a Cage." She also plays an incredible improvised song and one of her original tunes!
The wonderful Geri Cole (writer, Sesame Street) stops by to talk about Arcade Fire's immense song, "My Body Is A Cage." We talk about album closers, living abroad, growing up, life changes, friendship, and love. It gets deep! Mikki Hommel returns to the show and plays a killer cover of "My Body Is a Cage." She also plays an incredible improvised song and one of her original tunes!
The Cast member and hilarious human, GERI COLE, joins the show to talk about travel, her utopian hometown, and how to bring more voices to the comedy table. Geri spends her weekdays working on Sesame Street and her weekends creating one-of-a-kind improv shows with The Cast, so we’re thrilled that she’s taken some time to […] The post #80: Geri Cole appeared first on Magnet Theater.